'View' Fight: Hasselbeck Spars with Panel Over McCain's Ad

The July 31 edition of "The View" predictably picked up McCain’s now famous celebrity ad, and predictably, three of them were not pleased. Whoopi Goldberg specifically objected to the use of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton and called such an action "beneath him." Joy Behar simply felt McCain was "jealous" and said he is no longer a good person. Sherri Shepherd, who probably could not pass a high school geography test, called such an action "very high school."

Elisabeth Hasselbeck dared to offer an opposing opinion noting McCain simply is suggesting qualifications matter more than celebrity. When Joy Behar mocked McCain’s celebrity appeal and displayed a picture of McCain with Willford Brimley. Hasselbeck quickly reminded the panel of many of Barack Obama’s friends like Reverend Wright, Tony Rezko, and Ludacris.

As the conversation moved to which candidate flip flops more, Whoopi Goldberg claimed McCain flipped on abortion, or as Whoopi calls it, "a woman’s right to choose." Whoopi asserted McCain once supported abortion rights but no longer does not. Perhaps Whoopi should check her own facts for. According to one of Whoopi’s favorite organizations, the National Abortion Rights Action League, NARAL, McCain was very hostile to their agenda. In a recent press release on Senator McCain, NARAL stated the following.

"During his four years in the House, then-Rep. McCain cast 11 votes on abortion and other reproductive-rights issues. Ten of these votes were anti-choice. In the Senate, Sen. McCain has cast 119 votes on abortion and other reproductive-rights issues, 115 of which were anti-choice."

Whoopi also bizarrely stated Obama "kicked ass" on his European tour. Perhaps he did among the Germans, but the polls among the voters that count, felt otherwise.

The entire transcript is below.

JOY BEHAR: What was John McCain thinking when he approved that message?

WHOOPI GOLDBERG: I don’t know. I mean, somebody had to come to say to him, "let us show you what we’re going to"-

ELISABETH HASSELBECK: What do you think about it?

GOLDBERG: I think it’s a little bit offensive only because Paris Hilton, a girl who’s been sort of in jail a couple of times and been in the drunk tank, and, and Britney Spears, who’s had, you know, some mental issues and problems of her own. If you want to really compare him to the biggest stars in the world, where’s Will Smith, or where’s George Clooney, you know, if you want to do that, you want to say "he is a big celebrity"? But why associate him with two white girls first of all, who are- you know, there’s a lot of- I’m just saying [laughter and applause] You’re trying to scare people subliminally. This sort of was an odd choice.

HASSELBECK: Two things I think, first, you know, I think the ad in some ways is successful because we’re talking about it and that’s what advertising is. And I think it actually hits on two big points that Barack Obama is going to more than double taxes, that’s in his plan. And I think that’s in there-

SHERRI SHEPHERD: Does he need to show Paris Hilton?

HASSELBECK: Hang on, no, no, look, you come away from it with that information. However, in terms of the Paris Hilton/Britney Spears things, in fairness to calling him a celebrity, he did agree to be on, what was it, "Access Hollywood" with his family. Wait, wait, wait, just let me finish my thought.

GOLDBERG: That’s not what we’re talking about. That’s not the point we’re talking about.

HASSELBECK: Well, I’m making my point and then we can talk about it.

BEHAR: We’ll let you finish because then I get to talk.

HASSELBECK: Let me, let me finish. That’s all I ask. I’m saying, he’s saying that he’s the biggest celebrity and there is this draw to him, okay? He’s incredibly charismatic, people are following him like wildfire. On "Us Weekly," "People" magazine, you see, you see Barack Obama right next to Shiloh, Angelina Jolie’s baby, and Lindsay Lohan. You see him on "Access Hollywood," which he decides to go on.

GOLDBERG: Why those two women? That’s what we’re talking about.

HASSELBECK: He’s using them as celebrity that are on these outlets, in these outlets that we are constantly seeing for-

GOLDBERG: That’s not so.

HASSELBECK: I’m saying who is on all of these magazines? Look at this ad. Could he have used another celebrity? Sure.

SHEPHERD: Exactly, but two-

HASSELBECK: But when you look on other celebrities in "People" magazine, and "Access Hollywood," you see those two. Thank you.

BEHAR: That’s alright, now let’s the rest of us talk. Go ahead.

SHEPHERD: No, I’m just saying I don’t think it made a point. I don’t think it, I think if he- I could go with that ad if it was a Paris Hilton and Britney Spears in it. I think that’s very, very high school. You know, take those out, take those two women out, you’ve got two people with a record who are known for being typically dumb, that you’re going to compare them to Obama? So I’m not getting what you say you got from it.

BEHAR: The thing is- alright.

[laughter]

HASSELBECK: I’m saying in terms of the celebrity magazine-esque photo, he’s, he’s comparing it to the "US Weekly" world, which Barack Obama has chosen himself to inject himself into, going on "Access Hollywood" and being in these magazines. He’s done that.

BEHAR: The thing that I say about it is that we love celebrities in this country. And so why would you put him- say that he’s a big celebrity and think that, that’s a negative? We love celebrities. I mean, it’s like almost like they’re jealous in the campaign, McCain campaign that he is a celebrity. I don’t think it’s correct to have snob appeal about "U-S Weekly" and "People" magazine. There are people in the country who like to read those magazines.

HASSELBECK: I read them. I’m not having snob appeal myself. I love them. I live for those things.

BEHAR: Well, then why do you criticize it?

HASSELBECK: I’m, I’m not criticizing it. You’re not hearing me. I’m saying Barack Obama has injected himself into that arena. So to put him in an ad, with the people that are also-

BEHAR: Wait, wait, he’s injected himself into the arena of the world. He was a celebrity all over the world and McCain is jealous.

GOLDBERG: Everybody said "why haven’t you gone?" Remember, you said it here and you-

HASSELBECK: That’s a celebrity world.

GOLDBERG: -"you haven’t been over to Europe"-

BEHAR: Right, you told him to go.

GOLDBERG: You told him to go, and he went and he went and he kicked everybody’s ass.

SHEPHERD: McCain would be right on the cover of "US Weekly," they just haven’t-

HASSELBECK: I don’t know. In today’s world- I don’t think he’s jealous. He- if he is jealous.

BEHAR: Okay, whatever. But listen, he is the celebrity, McCain, if McCain wants to do a celebrity ad because, you know, he has celebrity envy-

HASSELBECK: He doesn’t.

BEHAR: Then he should do this one. Show the picture. There he is, yeah. That’s Willford Brimley. I feel that, that’s what McCain, that is the celebrity level.

HASSELBECK: Do you want to get into friends? You want to get into friends with candidates? Let’s talk Rezco, let’s talk Reverend Wright, let’s talk Ludacris, don’t go there.

GOLDBERG: No, this is about, this is about the ad.

BEHAR: Everyone’s turning on you.

HASSELBECK: I don’t care who’s turning on me. I’m giving my opinion and this is a free country, unless you give the opinion on the other side.

[applause]

GOLDBERG: Let’s move on. Let’s move on.

HASSELBECK: It seems to me, it seems to me that you can only have one opinion in this country right now.

GOLDBERG: Oh really, after the last eight years you can say that? Don’t go there, please. On one opinion, I know, I got eaten by what one opinion should be in this country.

HASSELBECK: I’m saying you experienced it, you experienced it.

GOLDBERG: Yes I did. And so that’s not what I’m doing. I’m trying to get this ad out to talk about this ad, whether you think it’s good or whether you don’t think it’s good, not because he went here. What was wrong with that ad? Is there no other way to do this? John McCain is a great guy.

HASSELBECK: He is.

GOLDBERG: I like him. But this was beneath him. He is a much better guy than this, and that’s what agitated me.

[applause]

BEHAR: He used to be. He used to be. He’s not any more.

HASSELBECK: You can not- are you going to judge him on this ad, or do you want to go in the past-

BEHAR: He is a major flip flopper.

HASSELBECK: Major flip flopper? Barack Obama has turned his back on his entire base, which he used to get the nomination.

BEHAR: He’s a George Bush clone and you know it.

HASSELBECK: No way!

SHEPHERD: Wait a second. He don’t like black people [sic] anymore?

HASSELBECK: No, I’m not talking about black people any more.

SHEPHERD: What are you saying his entire base is?

HASSELBECK: His entire voting base. He, he pandered to the extreme liberals, which he is, to get the nomination, and now he’s trying to pretend he’s a centrist.

BEHAR: Oh and Bush did not- I mean and McCain didn’t do that? He, he didn’t agree with George Bush for eight years on so many things, and now he agrees in lockstep with George Bush.

HASSELBECK: No, he doesn’t. He’s crossed party lines for 20 years in the Senate, versus the three that Barack Obama has been in it, he has never crossed party lines.

GOLDBERG: He did believe that a woman’s right to choose was on. He did not feel that, that was something that should have gone away. And now he has changed his mind. His own legislation that he put forth in terms of having illegal folks and how to take care of them, he’s mind on that.

HASSELBECK: What about the war and Barack Obama? They both have

GOLDBERG: Yeah, and that’s my point.

BEHAR: He was against tax cuts for the rich. Now he is for tax cuts for the rich. This is McCain. He was against drilling, offshore drilling, now he is for offshore drilling.

HASSELBECK: He should be for offshore drilling because we need it right now.

BEHAR: Don’t say that Barack is a flip flopper and McCain is not.

HASSELBECK: I’m saying his own campaign, John McCain has had 20 years to develop his opinions-

BEHAR: And he changed them.

HASSELBECK: Barack Obama, Barack Obama has been in the Senate for only three years, and in this election alone, has turned his campaign around.

BEHAR: Has Cheney and Bush, we have experienced also and look what they did to the country.

GOLDBERG: Excuse me, let me say this. You all know and you all know, and everybody sitting out there knows that who gets in, you’re taxes are going up. Let’s be realistic. It is true.

BEHAR: Only on the rich, on the rich.

GOLDBERG: It is true. Your taxes are going up. I don’t care what they tell you, look at me. Look at me. I’m telling you we don’t have a choice. The taxes are going to go up.

BEHAR: We’re in a deficit that the drove us into for the past seven years.

Federal employees and military personnel can donate to the Media Research Center through the Combined Federal Campaign or CFC. To donate to the MRC, use CFC #12489. Visit the CFC website for more information about giving opportunities in your workplace.